Verstappen Unfazed by Critics: Questions Over Champion Mindset

Max Verstappen isn’t backing down from criticism about his aggressive driving at the Mexico City Grand Prix. In fact, he thinks his critics just don’t understand what it takes to be a champion.

The four-time world champion came under fire for some bold moves on Lando Norris during the race. He even picked up 20 seconds worth of penalties from race officials.

But Verstappen? He couldn’t care less.

“They don’t have a world champion mentality,” he fired back at his critics. “I will always go to the limit to get the maximum out of every race. And if it has to be forced, that’s just the way it goes.”

McLaren CEO Zak Brown was one of the loudest voices saying Verstappen didn’t need to drive so aggressively. When told about Brown’s comments, Verstappen took a little dig: “That must have been someone from England… or an American even.”

The Dutch driver isn’t just unapologetic – he’s proud of pushing boundaries.

“Sometimes you have to go over a limit. That’s what I do,” he explained. “I actually won points there, so I don’t regret anything from that race at all.”

For Verstappen, it’s all about the championship mindset. He believes going to extremes is sometimes necessary to stay on top, even if not everyone gets it.

“I will always do everything to get the maximum result,” he said. “You have to factor all that in, and not everyone understands that and not everyone has that mentality.”

The debate around his driving style isn’t likely to quiet down anytime soon. But with four world championships under his belt, Verstappen seems pretty comfortable letting his results do the talking.